Men's Basketball '11 - '12

[BirdZip]

These games typically seem to be among the highest attended for the year. The fans of the lower opponents attend in droves.

[Blue & Gold]

These games typically seem to be among the highest attended for the year. The fans of the lower opponents attend in droves.

Which is pathetic. I still can't believe we don't have 5500 people in the Akron area that want to come to games at the JAR. There are very few things I enjoy more than Zips basketball.

[Doug Snyder]

These games typically seem to be among the highest attended for the year. The fans of the lower opponents attend in droves.

Reason #5

[taxpayer]

"These games typically seem to be among the highest attended for the year. The fans of the lower opponents attend in droves". Is that really true? If so, that's two of the most disappointing sentenances I've read regarding the Zips.

Why isn't a Zips game a hard ticket to come by? 5,000 seats shouldn't be hard to fill with the recent success of this program. What would improve attendance other than scheduling all of the top 25 D1 programs into the JAR?

[Captain Kangaroo]

Why isn't a Zips game a hard ticket to come by? 5,000 seats shouldn't be hard to fill with the recent success of this program. What would improve attendance other than scheduling all of the top 25 D1 programs into the JAR?

This has all been beaten into the ground in the past, but to really pack the JAR the Zips need to get on an early-season roll. And sustain it. Beat a BCS opponent. Start whipping the other opponents.

Start the season 13-2...beat someone like West Virginia and/or VCU...beat CSU...that gets butts-in-seats.

"Nice" seasons, where we beat no marquee opponents and have 4 to 7 MAC losses are proven to get us 3,500 butts-in-seats for about everyone except K.e.n.t. That's just the way it is.

[Dave in Green]

Another thing that helps bring in casual fans is a high-scoring offense. Averaging 100+ points per game over the early part of the season with lots of TV sports highlight flying jams is guaranteed to raise attendance.

Previous slow and deliberate Zips teams weren't up for this. But the current roster may be capable of performing well at an up-tempo pace.

[UAZipster0305]

Why isn't a Zips game a hard ticket to come by? 5,000 seats shouldn't be hard to fill with the recent success of this program. What would improve attendance other than scheduling all of the top 25 D1 programs into the JAR?

This has all been beaten into the ground in the past, but to really pack the JAR the Zips need to get on an early-season roll. And sustain it. Beat a BCS opponent. Start whipping the other opponents.

Start the season 13-2...beat someone like West Virginia and/or VCU...beat CSU...that gets butts-in-seats.

"Nice" seasons, where we beat no marquee opponents and have 4 to 7 MAC losses are proven to get us 3,500 butts-in-seats for about everyone except K.e.n.t. That's just the way it is.

You always tell it like it is, CK, and I respect that. Beating at least one marquee opponent and not losing to MAC competition would do it. Unlike with football, I feel that we are on the verge of breaking through this next barrier.

[ZZZips]

Serb resolved his student visa problems yesterday. He now has the correct papers to stay in the USA while working on a second bachelors degree and using his last year of eligibility on the basketball court.

[Zipmeister]

Another thing that helps bring in casual fans is a high-scoring offense. Averaging 100+ points per game over the early part of the season with lots of TV sports highlight flying jams is guaranteed to raise attendance.

Previous slow and deliberate Zips teams weren't up for this. But the current roster may be capable of performing well at an up-tempo pace.

I smell a wager. I'll give you $10 for every game the Zips score over 100 this season; you give me $1.50 for every game that they don't.

[Captain Kangaroo]

You always tell it like it is, CK, and I respect that.

That's a nice complement. I appreciate it.

[Dave in Green]

Another thing that helps bring in casual fans is a high-scoring offense. Averaging 100+ points per game over the early part of the season with lots of TV sports highlight flying jams is guaranteed to raise attendance.

Previous slow and deliberate Zips teams weren't up for this. But the current roster may be capable of performing well at an up-tempo pace.

I smell a wager. I'll give you $10 for every game the Zips score over 100 this season; you give me $1.50 for every game that they don't.

You sure know a good betting opportunity when you see one.

While I think the current Zips players may be capable of scoring over 100 point a game this season, I have serious doubts about Coach Dambrot allowing them to run wild.

So I'll just say I think they're going to average more points this season and be more entertaining to watch on offense.

[MaxZIP]

I was just given basketball season tickets by my wife as a birthday present! Game on.

[ziptrumpet87]

I was just given basketball season tickets by my wife as a birthday present! Game on.

Nice! Sounds like a keeper to me!

[Roo]

These games typically seem to be among the highest attended for the year. The fans of the lower opponents attend in droves.

Which is pathetic. I still can't believe we don't have 5500 people in the Akron area that want to come to games at the JAR. There are very few things I enjoy more than Zips basketball.

I go to the Can't game and go wherever they play Cleveland St but outside of that, I am not going to a piece of crap arena so I can struggle to see the game on a bench. The seating in that place is horrendous, bench seating at a DI college program? It's pathetic. And sad...there are better high school venues in the area.

The quality of teams that come to the JAR isn't worth going to see. I can stream it or catch a couple games on TV. But I am excited to see VCU. I also will be making the trek to CSU to watch them play (where I finished grad school) and on the complete opposite of Akron, that is a pretty decent place to see a game. Good view from almost anywhere and access to chair back seats.

[ZippyforPresident]

I go to the Can't game and go wherever they play Cleveland St but outside of that, I am not going to a piece of crap arena so I can struggle to see the game on a bench. The seating in that place is horrendous, bench seating at a DI college program? It's pathetic. And sad...there are better high school venues in the area.

The quality of teams that come to the JAR isn't worth going to see. I can stream it or catch a couple games on TV. But I am excited to see VCU. I also will be making the trek to CSU to watch them play (where I finished grad school) and on the complete opposite of Akron, that is a pretty decent place to see a game. Good view from almost anywhere and access to chair back seats.

Upper reserved seats (individual seats with chair backs and arm rests) are only $15 per seat if you hate riding the pine ($10). Those upper reserved seats offer a really good view too. In my opinion the JAR is a pretty good place to watch basketball. There aren't that many places left that put you that close to the action anymore (BGSU's Anderson used to be GREAT for getting close to the action). In my opinion there is nothing else like it when there is a big crowd with that sort of energy @ the JAR. You can absolutely feel the energy coursing through you when the team gets on a run and the crowd gets going.

If you want to go to a terrible arena, go check out K-S-U's MAC Center. The entire upper level is an obstructed view of any scoreboard in the arena and the view of the court is a thin space between the large beam running across the roof and some mouth breathing Can't State a-hole in front of you (I can post pictures). The JAR is a palace compared to that place. Really, be grateful.

Also, in addition to the VCU game, don't forget about the Detroit game. That game should be awesome. Detroit is receiving a lot of press about being the next team to unseat Butler on their way to the top of the Horizon with Ray McCallum Jr. and Eli Holman. The Titans also stole Juwan Howard Jr. away from Western Michigan (although he has to sit out this year).

Hopefully you will enjoy coming to more games. Come for the team, not the arena!

[Captain Kangaroo]

Come for the team, not the arena!

The arena was packed for Lebron's St. V teams. Bring Akron a real winner, and people will sit on a bench for 2 hours.

Go 10-6 in the MAC, and there aren't too many people who want to sit with their wife on a wooden bench on a Saturday night.

[Roo]

I go to the Can't game and go wherever they play Cleveland St but outside of that, I am not going to a piece of crap arena so I can struggle to see the game on a bench. The seating in that place is horrendous, bench seating at a DI college program? It's pathetic. And sad...there are better high school venues in the area.

The quality of teams that come to the JAR isn't worth going to see. I can stream it or catch a couple games on TV. But I am excited to see VCU. I also will be making the trek to CSU to watch them play (where I finished grad school) and on the complete opposite of Akron, that is a pretty decent place to see a game. Good view from almost anywhere and access to chair back seats.

Upper reserved seats (individual seats with chair backs and arm rests) are only $15 per seat if you hate riding the pine ($10). Those upper reserved seats offer a really good view too. In my opinion the JAR is a pretty good place to watch basketball. There aren't that many places left that put you that close to the action anymore (BGSU's Anderson used to be GREAT for getting close to the action). In my opinion there is nothing else like it when there is a big crowd with that sort of energy @ the JAR. You can absolutely feel the energy coursing through you when the team gets on a run and the crowd gets going.

If you want to go to a terrible arena, go check out K-S-U's MAC Center. The entire upper level is an obstructed view of any scoreboard in the arena and the view of the court is a thin space between the large beam running across the roof and some mouth breathing Can't State a-hole in front of you (I can post pictures). The JAR is a palace compared to that place. Really, be grateful.

Also, in addition to the VCU game, don't forget about the Detroit game. That game should be awesome. Detroit is receiving a lot of press about being the next team to unseat Butler on their way to the top of the Horizon with Ray McCallum Jr. and Eli Holman. The Titans also stole Juwan Howard Jr. away from Western Michigan (although he has to sit out this year).

Hopefully you will enjoy coming to more games. Come for the team, not the arena!

Dont get me wrong...I enjoy supporting the team and the games when I go. I don't get the chance to make many games, with an oddball work schedule that limits me. When we play good teams, it is a good environment to watch a game. Any chance I get, I try to sit in the reserve when I get a chance. But most games, I don't know if I can go until the day of and typically for the games I choose to go to, those seats are already gone.

It would be nice to see some more quality teams to come through...that's all.

[ZippyforPresident]

It would be nice to see some more quality teams to come through...that's all.

It really would. I like going to the games but it is tough to get excited for games against Florida A&M, Arkansas Pine Bluff, and North Carolina A&T... Thank God for the ESPN Bracketbusters and the return games.

[GoZips]

These games typically seem to be among the highest attended for the year. The fans of the lower opponents attend in droves.

Which is pathetic. I still can't believe we don't have 5500 people in the Akron area that want to come to games at the JAR. There are very few things I enjoy more than Zips basketball.

I go to the Can't game and go wherever they play Cleveland St but outside of that, I am not going to a piece of crap arena so I can struggle to see the game on a bench. The seating in that place is horrendous, bench seating at a DI college program? It's pathetic. And sad...there are better high school venues in the area.

The quality of teams that come to the JAR isn't worth going to see. I can stream it or catch a couple games on TV. But I am excited to see VCU. I also will be making the trek to CSU to watch them play (where I finished grad school) and on the complete opposite of Akron, that is a pretty decent place to see a game. Good view from almost anywhere and access to chair back seats.

So, bottom line is ... you are not a Zips fan.

[Quickzips]

These games typically seem to be among the highest attended for the year. The fans of the lower opponents attend in droves.

Which is pathetic. I still can't believe we don't have 5500 people in the Akron area that want to come to games at the JAR. There are very few things I enjoy more than Zips basketball.

I go to the Can't game and go wherever they play Cleveland St but outside of that, I am not going to a piece of crap arena so I can struggle to see the game on a bench. The seating in that place is horrendous, bench seating at a DI college program? It's pathetic. And sad...there are better high school venues in the area.

The quality of teams that come to the JAR isn't worth going to see. I can stream it or catch a couple games on TV. But I am excited to see VCU. I also will be making the trek to CSU to watch them play (where I finished grad school) and on the complete opposite of Akron, that is a pretty decent place to see a game. Good view from almost anywhere and access to chair back seats.

So, bottom line is ... you are not a Zips fan.

Ohh boy, here we go again.

[Dave in Green]

I'm not interested in getting into a personal debate over which Zips fans are "better" than others. In my book, all fans of Zips basketball are better than those with no interest at all.

But I do think it's useful in discussions like this to have a better understanding of how a word such as fan came into use, it's original intention and definition, and what it has come to stand for in the modern context.

Consider the following from Wikipedia about the definition of fan:

Merriam-Webster, the Oxford dictionary and other recognized sources define it as a shortened version of the word fanatic, and the word did first become popular in reference to an enthusiastic follower of a baseball team. (Fanatic itself, introduced into English around 1550, means "marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion". It comes from the Modern Latin fanaticus, meaning "insanely but divinely inspired".

It appears that the original use of fan was to separate the most fanatical followers of a team from general spectators who may have followed a team with interest but not unconditional enthusiasm and loyalty.

Over the years, general use of the word fan has become more generic to the point that it is virtually synonymous with spectator. In that context, we now have to add an adjective to separate the most enthusiastic fans from more casual fans. Thus you now have some called "rabid fans" and some "fair weather fans."

Summing it up, today's fans may range from the original concept of sports team followers "marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion" to casual sports team followers who do not exhibit all the characteristics of fanaticism.

[Doug Snyder]

Is aluminum softer than wood?? Maybe this same issue is why we do not get any attendance at the Info. Hmmm... just wondering why some have no problem taking their family to football game but sitting on a wood bench for a basketball game is ridiculous and hard on the back. I always thought people in California were soft....but they fill up St. Mary's arena and it is almost an exact replica of the Jar and nothing about the wood seats is ever said…or I have never heard it. I think there are people in NE Ohio who just like to complain.

[RACER]

i don't understand how people kep saying OVER ,AND OVER,OVER they would like to see some better

teams come to akron.

you don't kd has tried to get teams here? the bracket uster games are the only way your going to get

top 50 b-ball teams here.teams like n.c.,duke,msu ect will only play at there place.they won't come

here ever.it's just like in football.teams like OSU,ALABAMA,LSU are never going to play a non bcs

team at there home field.i don't want to here how BG had OSU at cleveland stadium.it's like

a home game for them.

[dboze]

Akron Zips Basketball Media Day - October 26

Zips Media Day Link

[Roo]

These games typically seem to be among the highest attended for the year. The fans of the lower opponents attend in droves.

Which is pathetic. I still can't believe we don't have 5500 people in the Akron area that want to come to games at the JAR. There are very few things I enjoy more than Zips basketball.

I go to the Can't game and go wherever they play Cleveland St but outside of that, I am not going to a piece of crap arena so I can struggle to see the game on a bench. The seating in that place is horrendous, bench seating at a DI college program? It's pathetic. And sad...there are better high school venues in the area.

The quality of teams that come to the JAR isn't worth going to see. I can stream it or catch a couple games on TV. But I am excited to see VCU. I also will be making the trek to CSU to watch them play (where I finished grad school) and on the complete opposite of Akron, that is a pretty decent place to see a game. Good view from almost anywhere and access to chair back seats.

So, bottom line is ... you are not a Zips fan.

Im not an Akron alum, I pay money for season tickets for the football team and follow the Zips basketball team as much as I can. I would consider myself a local fan and as far as having your approval of whether I am a fan or not, I really couldn't care less.

As more locals think like me, the bottom line is, the quality of visitors to the JAR has to drastically improve if they ever want butts in the seats.

I am sure KD has tried, but I am pretty certain he realizes that the best chance for the Zips to make it to the NCAAs is to win the MAC tournament, not get an at-large, and that's why you will never see a better schedule. Pad it with cupcakes, get 20 wins, build momentum into the MAC season and hope they catch fire late and make a run. I really believe that is his strategy.